CaptainTops
New Member
Size upgrade from a Fluval AIO 13 gallon to a Tideline AIO 47gal Lagoon tank.
I am creating a thread to document the build process for myself and those who found as little information as I did on this relatively new tank.
It took a bit of cleaning to remove all of the dust from transit, but after that, I could put in the first run of salt water. Currently, I am using Instant Ocean Reef salt as I can be a bit short-sighted on mixing salt water, and I like that it seems to give great results even with 12ish hours of mixing. I also added some nitrifying bacteria to jump-start the process before adding some filter media from the previous tank. First few days, I just did top-offs of RODI water as I still have my ATO attached to the previous tank. After one week, it looked good on parameters, so I added in the various bio media pieces, a few pieces of dry rock that had been aging in the media basket, and a pod habitat that had been in the tank for a few weeks.
That leads to today, where I debate lighting pumps and controller options. Ideally, this tank upgrade was meant to make it easier for my tank to maintain stability during my short work travels, so I would like to have an extremely reliable and durable controller running as the nervous system of my tank. Apex was my first introduction, but through scouring the forums, I am leaning more toward the GHL in terms of its long-lasting performance and seemingly more durable components (i.e. probes). I also have some background in programming, so making the more intricate programs the GHL model is capable of is more of a draw for me. I have a small sense of joy while looking at others' screenshots of their Apex control apps, but honestly, I want to look at my tank more and my controller less. I am grateful to be able to pop over to a world-class LFS that stocks nearly all of the necessary components so I can make the jump as soon as my final decision is made. The next big decision will be a battery backup, and opinions are always appreciated on either of these topics.
I will try to share whatever resources or components I come across for others interested in this tank.
Equipment:
Edited to update: July 28, 2023 will continue in comments when there is some actual development and not just staring at my tests
I am creating a thread to document the build process for myself and those who found as little information as I did on this relatively new tank.
It took a bit of cleaning to remove all of the dust from transit, but after that, I could put in the first run of salt water. Currently, I am using Instant Ocean Reef salt as I can be a bit short-sighted on mixing salt water, and I like that it seems to give great results even with 12ish hours of mixing. I also added some nitrifying bacteria to jump-start the process before adding some filter media from the previous tank. First few days, I just did top-offs of RODI water as I still have my ATO attached to the previous tank. After one week, it looked good on parameters, so I added in the various bio media pieces, a few pieces of dry rock that had been aging in the media basket, and a pod habitat that had been in the tank for a few weeks.
That leads to today, where I debate lighting pumps and controller options. Ideally, this tank upgrade was meant to make it easier for my tank to maintain stability during my short work travels, so I would like to have an extremely reliable and durable controller running as the nervous system of my tank. Apex was my first introduction, but through scouring the forums, I am leaning more toward the GHL in terms of its long-lasting performance and seemingly more durable components (i.e. probes). I also have some background in programming, so making the more intricate programs the GHL model is capable of is more of a draw for me. I have a small sense of joy while looking at others' screenshots of their Apex control apps, but honestly, I want to look at my tank more and my controller less. I am grateful to be able to pop over to a world-class LFS that stocks nearly all of the necessary components so I can make the jump as soon as my final decision is made. The next big decision will be a battery backup, and opinions are always appreciated on either of these topics.
I will try to share whatever resources or components I come across for others interested in this tank.
Equipment:
- Tideline AIO 47gal Lagoon
- Planet Aquariums Elegance Maple Stand 36x18x36
- Stock pump
- IceCap Pod Habitat
- Biocubes
- Pods
- Instant Ocean Reef Salt
- MicroBacter Clean
Edited to update: July 28, 2023 will continue in comments when there is some actual development and not just staring at my tests
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